$1 billion of unclaimed property in Florida's vault

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Do you have cash waiting for you in Florida's unclaimed property vault?

A lot of Floridians do. Right now, the vault contains about $1 billion, that's $1 billion, of unclaimed property.

Some of the items in the vault were displayed at the state Capitol on Thursday, including some magnificent Bulgari ruby and diamond necklaces.

Also on display was 100 troy ounces of silver.

The unclaimed property was displayed because Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill designed to makes it easier to submit claims. The legislation creates a system that lets you send a claim electronically to the Division of Financial Services.

The idea is to help reuniteowners withtheir unclaimed property faster and with less hassle.

"We're going to be far more efficient now. People are going to find their property faster than they ever found it before and find it maybe for the first time because it was easier now," said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.

The unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts and items from old safety deposit boxes.

First For You: Search online for unclaimed property at FLTreasureHunt.org or call 1-88-VALUABLE.